Jean Huelsing, founder of Camp Jump Start and CEO of the Living Well Foundation in Imperial, said the nonprofit organization is headed down a new path.
Camp Jump Start, which is held at the Living Well Village, 3602 Lions Den Road, has been operating for the past 22 years as a residential health and wellness camp focused on serving children. The camp was established to fight childhood obesity.
Huelsing said the camp is changing its healthy lifestyle curriculum to an online “training camp” masterclass for families in an effort to serve more people in a cost-effective way.
Camp Jump Start will now hold an Autism Adventure Day Camp, a retreat center for families who have children with autism, instead of the health and wellness camp that has traditionally been offered.
The camp is currently seeking applicants to participate in the camp. Due to a grant, families may attend it for free this summer, Huelsing said.
She said the idea for the new camp came from her daughter, Marcie, the program director, who had experience teaching young children with autism in self-contained classrooms.
“Parents often spoke of feeling isolated from family and friends, along with the obstacles that prevented them from trying to get to know families of their child’s classmates,” she said.
Huelsing said the new day camp is needed to help the growing number of families whose children have received an autism diagnosis and address their needs.
The camp aims to provide a supportive community where local families may connect with each other; to educate families through large group and individual instruction and collaboration; and to provide life skill practice for children on the spectrum, she said.
Huelsing said the camp ran a pilot program last year, and it was life-changing for each family. The camp offered programs to teach children a variety of skills, like how to trick or treat, and it offered workshops for parents on self-care and mindfulness, as well as lessons on how to advocate for their children in school, she said.
The original Camp Jump Start curriculum for healthy lifestyles was interwoven into the camp as well.
Huelsing said participants at this year’s camp may expect to spend a lot of time outside as a group. The camp will have group activities that a majority of children on the spectrum may participate in, but also will offer alternative choices for those who are uninterested in those activities.
“We want everyone to feel successful here. For some families, that looks like group participation, and for others that looks like staying in the same area as the group and enjoying being outside,” she said. “We strive to be a place that recognizes and celebrates all of it.”
Huelsing said she wants parents to know that help is available locally in Jefferson County in a nonjudgemental, safe environment.
“No family should feel isolated due to this diagnosis,” Huelsing said. “We really are trying to make a difference for a population that may travel a lonely path if they do not find their ‘village.’ We all need people who understand and validate our experiences.”
Huelsing said she is grateful for the financial support the Living Well Foundation has received from the Jefferson Foundation, which will allow families to attend the day camp for free this summer.
“As with all nonprofits, there is no mission if there is no money. We must find donors both big and small to keep the program alive,” she said. “This year will determine if a tuition-free program can be sustainable.”
Huelsing said the camp is currently accepting children between the ages of 4-11 with a Phase 2 or Phase 3 autism diagnosis for their five-day program and their single-day Saturday meet-up camps. However, the camp cannot accept children who are aggressive toward others, run away from parents or require more than one parent supervisor.
She said Camp Jump Start requires the parent and child to tour in May before they apply for a place in camp to make sure it is a good fit for all. The camp has a lake on the property, which may be a safety concern for some families.
By the end of the tour, both the family and the camp will know if it’s a good fit, she said, adding that the families should not come to the camp without an appointment.
For more information about the camp, or to book a parent/child weekday evening tour, email Marcie@livingwellvillage.org.